EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders’ Kat Moon faces every mother’s worst nightmare next week, when she discovers Zoe Slater has tragically died in bed after hitting her head.
When Kat goes into her daughter’s bedroom and discovers her lifeless body, she’s left so shocked that she can’t tell a soul what’s happened. It’s only when Alfie realises something is seriously wrong that the terrible truth about Zoe’s fate is revealed…
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BBC
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“It’s a heartbreak that leaves the entire Slater family completely devastated,” explains our Walford insider. “Although she hurt her head, there was nothing to suggest that Zoe was fatally ill when she went to sleep the night before.
“So, when Kat walks in to wake her up, she’s completely blindsided to find that her beloved daughter has died. The pain leaves Kat completely unable to function.”
Alfie can scarcely believe it himself when the truth comes to light, and he realises the ordeal Kat is going through. Worse still, he knows they must share the truth with Zoe’s nearest and dearest, including her children Jasmine and Josh.
Then there’s Tommy, Bert and Ernie, all of whom adore their big sister. Alfie is painfully aware that Zoe’s loss is going to hit them all like a ton of bricks.
“For Kat, it’s impossible to deal with anybody else’s grief, she just can’t go there,” shares our source. “Initially, she locks herself away and refuses to let anyone in. Then she needs to get out for some headspace – there is so much grief to cope with that Kat feels completely lost.”
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BBC
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With her family at arm’s length, Kat finds solace from an unlikely source when Oscar spots her. He is all too aware of how hard it is for a family to experience loss after his own experience with Abi. He also knows what her child’s death did to Tanya and so has genuine wisdom to offer.
Although his words hit home, Kat goes back to The Vic to find the family holding a vigil in Zoe’s bedroom and is furious, ordering them all out. While Alfie understands she’s in hell, he begins to seriously worry that Kat is shutting him out entirely.
The gulf between them widens when the post-mortem results raise even more questions for the grieving mum.
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Sharon, who empathises with the pain of losing a child, tries to help Kat. Can she offer Kat the support she so desperately needs but can’t seem to accept – and why is she shocked about what the evidence of Zoe’s post-mortem uncovers?
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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